East to West
by she began to dance
Summary: Everybody knows Alphonse and May like each other. They're just having a tough time letting each other know. /drabble


"—but it's a matter of _understanding_, obviously. Xingese Alkahestry—"

She paused at Alphonse grunting as he took a step forward, head inclined down. "Are you okay?"

"Al?" the others seemed to stop too.

"What? No, yeah, I just—" the flush spreading to his ears gave him away way before he said anything. "I like the way you say it."

Winry and Ed raised their eyebrows and Alphonse immediately regretted saying anything. In front of them, it was too embarrassing. Ed knew that he liked May, it's not like it was a secret, not to anyone, but when you tried to get a girl interested in you, you shouldn't expect to hear not-so-silent snickers from your brother in the background.

"Say what?"

"What you were explaining. About…"

"Alkahestry." Ed snorted, dragging his hand to his mouth to try and hide it. Al closed his eyes and shook his head. He shouldn't have continued.

"Oh…" May bit her lip to keep from smiling and started on awkwardly, shielding her face as best as she could. Edward and Winry trudged behind them, no longer bothering to hide their amusement at just how awkward the moment had become.

Alphonse stuffed his hands in his pockets miserably and sighed. "Never mind."

.

.

.

It had been a few weeks since May had gotten to Amestris and they were finally having dinner together—

"I'll help with anything; I don't want to be a bother."

"Oh, no, you're fine, really! But I _would_ appreciate the help."

—that is, together along with Edward and Winry.

It would be a lie to say he hadn't expected it. It would be a lie to say he _wanted _to have dinner with May _and_ Edward and Winry, but he had expected it, and that was most likely his own fault.

May was put to the task of cutting up vegetables for dinner. Ed had gone outside with Den and Winry had followed him, the windows open and her shouts projecting through the house. It was one of the first times since she had gotten here that they had finally been able to be alone.

"Al, could you hand me the pot?"

She dropped the vegetables into it and began cutting more. She was happily humming, something she seemed to have made up, but it was catchy, good enough to be something she could have heard playing around the town. She had briefly expressed her excitement for dinner in what twenty seconds they had alone earlier before Ed came storming in, ranting about wrenches and auto mail. Alphonse hadn't gotten it out of his mind, wondering what it meant.

She was excited. What did that mean? Was she excited to have dinner with _him?_ With brother and Winry? Did she mean she was excited for the dinner itself? She had always found something admirable about Amestrian cuisine. He couldn't tell if she liked him or not, although his own feelings couldn't have been more obvious. They had gone back and forth, meeting and then her leaving, and then him coming and then him going, and then _her_ coming and going, until finally she was back and he was tired of keeping it behind closed doors. Her younger crush on him may have dissipated but that seemed to only have made his own crush grow stronger.

"May?"

"Hm?"

He had thought about this a lot. It was ridiculous,something not worth thinking about, certainly not worth bringing up. It was weird how now that they were alone, there were no thoughts of flirting in his mind. He was set on this. He hated it, but he had to know.

"Do you ever miss the armor?"

May stopped cutting, the knife still in her hand. She turned her head to peak at him and he noticed the smile on her face right before she turned away and slammed her knife down, continuing her cutting, laughing up until she had finished and put the rest of it into the pot. She wiped her hands down on her apron and turned around, leaning against the counter. With her lip caught between her teeth and her gaze shining into his, he almost forgot to breathe, almost forgot how beautiful she really was.

"Nah, not really." He noticed her trying really hard not to blush and keep her face inclined towards him at the same time. Her grip on the counter made her knuckles white. He watched as her eyes skimmed down over him and then back to meet his again. "I really like your body."

.

.

.

**AN: **I have this headcanon that before Al and May started dating, they were incredibly awkward around each other (especially letting one another know they liked the other), being older and getting away from the little 'crush' phase and all (they weren't horribly awkward that it got in the way of their growing friendship, but awkward in the sense that everyone is awkward around someone they like) And Ed sure didn't help with the situation. Because he likes to tease Alphonse. Because he is the insufferable older brother. :-)


End file.
